Hydrodictyon (some non-polarized images added)

[Charles Krebs]

Hydrodictyon, or "Water Net" is visually most interesting for the net-like pattern it makes... but here I have concentrated on just one or two cell junctions, photographed with cross polarized light and a lambda plate.

40X objective on first image, 20X on second.

[myriophyllum]

Hi Charles,

wonderful. :-)

Here You've been the lucky one - I haven't seen any Hydrodictyon for seven years, unfortunally...

Greetings

Jens

[Charles Krebs]

Jens,

While it can be a nuisance plant in some places it is an extremely "photogenic" alga. It has actually been 7 or 8 years since I last photographed it... here, and here.... but that was when I just a "beginner" at microscopy. The small piece used for these pictures was not in good condition so it was not possible to get a "net" pattern, thus the small details as shown here. It would be nice to find a larger clean sample in good condition.

Good luck in your search!

[Charles Krebs]

Found another piece of this alga in a sample. Still too small to get an overall "net" pattern, but I was able to get a slightly different look with more "conventional" lighting.

Olympus BHS, 20/0.70 S Plan Apo, oblique brightfield. Canon T3i.


Olympus BHS, 40/0.95 S Plan Apo, oblique brightfield. Canon T3i.


Olympus BHS, 20/0.70 S Plan Apo, darkfield with Zeiss Ultra-condenser. Canon T3i.


Olympus BHS, 20/0.70 S Plan Apo, darkfield with Zeiss Ultra-condenser. Canon T3i.


Olympus BHS, 20/0.70 S Plan Apo, darkfield. Canon T3i.

[Jacek]

Beautiful, you have a sense of artistic

[Ecki]

Very nice! The "Water Net" looks very nice in a Stereo Microscope under polarized light, too.

[Pau]

The second series of pictures are outstanding, both DF and DIC (I don't like so much the lambda plate colors)